


Unbelievable and Incorrigible

by writesometimes



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, It's almost too sappy to even be real and I'm sorry, Pining, and sappy bed-sharing, mostly just sappy longing and fluff though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writesometimes/pseuds/writesometimes
Summary: When Cara has an unexpected and dangerous run-in with an individual on Nevarro, The Mandalorian returns to make sure she is safe and that the threat is taken care of.
Relationships: Cara Dune/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 76





	Unbelievable and Incorrigible

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is technically a follow up to [Trouble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22104151), but it can probably be read on it's own.
> 
> I was recently made aware of things G*na has said online and I just wanted to add a disclaimer to my fics featuring her character that I in no way share her beliefs or support her views and I hope that I will be able to still enjoy Cara Dune in the future...

The last customer stumbled out the cantina door and and Cara leaned her hip against the bar. The lights were low inside, the room quiet. She smiled to herself and poured a shot of her favorite liquor. "Not a bad week." She looked over at Greef where he sat at his usual booth and raised her glass to him before downing the blue liquid. They'd made a handsome profit in the last week and Cara hadn't even had to pull her blaster once. All things considered, Cara thought she'd earned a celebratory shot. 

Being Greef's enforcer wasn't something Cara would have ever imagined herself doing, but it worked. She had steady work, a decent income and a place to call her own. It was more than she'd had in a while. And once she got to know Greef, he had a certain charm that endeared her to him. 

She set her empty shot glass back on the bar and made her way to the door. "I'm gonna head home. Unless you need me for anything else?"

Greef smiled at her and shook his head. "You did good work this week, you've more than earned your weekend. Have a good night, Cara."  
  
Cara gave him a small wave and sauntered out the cantina door. Dirt crunched beneath her boots as she strolled through the darkening streets of Nevarro. Her house wasn't far, she could see her little neighborhood district as she rounded the first corner outside the cantina. The houses all had the same squat, stucco appearance aside for her own, which stood out with its green paint. She smiled thinking about all the work she'd put into the place. She picked up her pace a bit, eager to get home to water her plants and have a shower.  
  
She'd almost made it home when a burning sensation assaulted her right side and she hunched over, alarmed. It took her a moment to gather her senses but when she finally did she spied a storm trooper standing beside her, readying a tazer for another blow. She waited until he was lunging in to taze her again before she kicked him, hard, in the abdomen. He stumbled backward but quickly regained his footing and charged back in Cara's direction. He was able to land a punch to Cara's jaw before she kicked his ankle and sent him tumbling to the ground. A white-gloved hand reached out and grabbed her calf, dragging her down into the dirt.  
  
Cara growled and kicked wildly, escaping the trooper's grip. She sat up and took his helmeted head in her hands and slammed it into the ground. "You got some nerve, asshole," she spat as she slammed his head down again, hard. The trooper gripped her hair and yanked her head backward. Cara gasped and released his helmet.  
  
The trooper sat up and pulled harder on Cara's hair. "Where is the Mandalorian?" he demanded as he jerked her head back and forth roughly. He got to his feet, keeping his tight grip on her hair. Cara spit at him in response. He struck her in the face again, her lip splitting open. She spit at him again, blood staining his white helmet. "Where is he?" the trooper demanded again.  
  
Cara sneered at him as she realized he wasn't guarding the blaster fastened to his belt. In the blink of an eye she'd snatched it off his hip and leveled it at his chest. He didn't even have time to flinch before Cara pulled the trigger. The trooper spun and fell back, face in the dirt, and Cara shut her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. She could hear a voice in the distance as she began standing up. She spun quickly, blaster in hand, prepared for another fight.  
  
"Whoa, whoa!" Greef came to a stop about three yards from Cara, hands raised. "I heard a shot from the cantina, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."  
  
Cara kicked at the prone trooper's foot. "Asshole tried to jump me on my way home."  
  
Greef stepped closer and his eyes went wide when he finally realized what he was looking at. "I'll have two of my people come and take care of this. Let's get you home." When Cara didn't respond, Greef slowly reached over and placed his hand on the blaster she still gripped tightly. "Cara," he lowered the blaster so it was no longer pointing at him, "Come on, let's get going."  
  
Cara took a deep breath and tucked the blaster into her belt. "He asked about Mando," she said shakily.   
  
Greef gently took Cara's elbow and began leading her away from the trooper. "Come on, Cara, we can warn Madno after we get you home."  
  


* * *

  
A light blinked on the dashboard of the _Razor Crest_ and Din swiveled in his seat to find out what needed his attention. His message notification light blinked at him and he sighed. The child had only fallen asleep half an hour ago and the last thing Din wanted was a holovid to wake him where he slept in the passenger seat, swaddled in his blue blanket. He turned the volume dial down and hit play. A holovid of Greef Carga popped up and filled the cockpit with cool blue light.   
  
"Mando," Greef said seriously, "We've had a bit of a situation here. Cara had a.... run in... today. You should know there's certain people back in our neck of the woods looking for you again. Take care out there."   
  
Greef's tiny blue form signed off and silence filled the cockpit for a moment. Din sighed and shifted in his seat, ready to scoop the baby up into his lap, when Cara's form appeared before him. Immediately he spotted bruising on her jaw and a split lip. He clenched his fists.   
  
Cara took a deep breath. "Mando, I hope you and the kid are safe." She paused and shut her eyes, swallowing thickly before looking back into the recording device. "Some asshole came into town looking for you yesterday. You know, of the all white body-armor variety. I don't know if he has any friends in the area but he's _definitely_ not a threat anymore. Stay safe and keep the little one close." She signed off with a watery smile.  
  
Din swallowed thickly as the holovid closed and silence filled the space once more. He swiveled around in his chair and punched Nevarro's coordinates into the navigation system. The baby squirmed in the passenger seat and Din patted his head. "It's okay, little guy, just a quick change of plans." The child focused his large eyes squarely on Din and blinked, still sleepy. "We're going to see our friends." The child pulled his blanket back up to his chin and cooed. Din smiled and shifted them into hyperspace.

They landed on Nevarro a few hours later, in the middle of the planet's desolate back country. Din made sure he had gathered everything he needed and sat the child down in his cradle. "Ready?" he asked as the child stared up at him. The baby babbled excitedly and Din took that as all the confirmation he was going to get that he was, indeed, ready to head out. The pair made it into town as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and people were packing up their goods at the outdoor markets. Din and the child snaked through the commotion and ducked into the cantina.  
  
Din spotted Greef immediately, seated at his usual booth, reading over some papers. He marched over, the baby's cradle hovering along behind him. "Good news?" Din asked, nodding at the papers in Greef's hands.  
  
"Mando!" Greef tossed the papers down onto the table and smiled. "What are you doing here? Not that we don't enjoy it when you visit but I'd think Nevarro would be the last place you'd want to be right now." He looked around the bar and motioned for the Mandalorian to take a seat. "Did you get my message?" Greef whispered, leaning across the table as Din sat.   
  
Din nodded. "That's why I'm here."  
  
Greef shook his head. "They're after you so you come back here? I don't get you, Mando."   
  
Din looked around the bar slowly.   
  
"She's at home," Greef supplied without missing a beat. "Trooper's tazer really did a number on her side. He wasn't too kind to her face either. I made sure to give her a long weekend."   
  
The baby cooed from his cradle where it hovered by the table. Greef reached out and stroked one of the little guy's long ears. "Hey there, buddy. You hungry? I can have a bowl of broth brought over for you."  
  
"He ate before we came into town," Din said absentmindedly, watching the baby play with Greef's hand. "Is Cara all right?" he asked after a beat of silence, tension in his voice.  
  
"She's fine, she's fine," Greef reassured with a laugh. "It would take more than a single trooper to get the upper hand on Dune. If anything she's probably angry with me for giving her the week off. She just needs a little rest before she's ready to get back to kicking ass."  
  
Din nodded silently and stood from the booth.  
  
"Tell her I said hello," Greef said with a smile as he watched the Mandalorian stand.  
  
Din nodded once more and made his way outside the cantina, the child cooing and smiling as his cradle followed along.   
  


* * *

  
Din stood on the porch of Cara's little green house and cleared his throat, glancing down at the child. He adjusted the strap of the messenger bag that had somehow become the child's supply bag so it wouldn't slip off his shoulder. "You think she'll be happy to see us?" he asked as the baby watched him carefully. He knocked on the front door softly and the baby cooed. "Be good, she's supposed to be resting," Din cautioned as the baby got more excited.

The front door came open and Din couldn't breathe. Cara stood before him, a dark bruise on her jaw, bottom lip split, little scratches on her face. Neither spoke for a moment, shock overcoming them. Din stepped forward and gently cupped the back of Cara's head with his gloved hand. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the rage growing inside him for whoever had dared to lay a hand on Cara.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Cara asked, her eyes wide.  
  
"I got your message and --"  
  
"So you know there was a trooper here looking for you and you _c_ _ame back_?" Cara's voice rose in disbelief.   
  
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Din explained quietly.  
  
"It was one trooper! I'm fine!" Cara insisted.  
  
Din slid his hand from the back of her head to her face and caressed her jaw lightly. "You sure about that?" he asked, tenderly passing over the dark bruise on her face.   
  
Cara reached up and pulled Din's hand away from her face and held it in both of hers. "I'm fine."  
  
The child, having been ignored for far too long, cooed loudly in his cradle. Cara smiled and released Din's hand so she could lift the child up. "Hey, you!" Cara poked the baby in the stomach gently and he giggled. She was thankful for the distraction. "You want a snack?"  
  
"He ate before we came into town," Din informed her as she began heading into her house with his child.   
  
"That's not what I asked, I asked if he wanted a snack! I think I have some juice and candies in my pantry somewhere." Cara tapped the child's nose and laughed.  
  
Din sighed and followed them through the house, dropping the messenger bag by the front door. "He'll never sleep if you give him juice and candies." He turned the corner into the kitchen and found Cara pouring out a glass of milk, the child sitting at the little table patiently. She winked at Din as she passed the glass to the child and pulled a small bag of root vegetables out of her pantry. The child's face lit up as she opened the bag and handed him one. He munched away contentedly and Cara set the bag down in front of him.   
  
"Now that he's occupied and happy, we can talk," Cara said smartly. She walked across the kitchen and leaned back against the counter next to Din. She winced as the tazer injury on her side was irritated and hoped Din didn't notice. "You really didn't have to come back here. It's not safe, I don't know if there are more of those pricks here." Cara kept her voice low so the child couldn't overhear her. She smiled as he picked up another vegetable and took a big bite.   
  
"If there _are_ more here, it's better that I came back. I can take care of them." Din crossed his arms as he watched the child dribble milk on his robes. He leaned his hip against the counter and faced Cara. "Besides, I couldn't just leave you here alone, thinking there might be more of them."  
  
Cara shook her head, a rueful smile on her lips. "Not exactly a damsel in distress here, Din."

"I know that, believe me, but I coulnd't just leave you here on your own to deal with all of this. They're looking for me after all. Wouldn't be very fair to leave you to assume all the risk."  
  
"Greef is here too," Cara countered with a laugh. "Not like he'd just sit back and let his highly skilled and _profitable_ enforcer get taken out by some assholes in white body armor."  
  
Din chuckled. "I still can't believe you took him up on his offer to be his enforcer."  
  
"Hey! Girl's gotta work if she wants to keep herself in such finery," Cara laughed, gesturing around her small house.   
  
Din stared, unable to speak, as Cara grinned at him cheekily, her dimples creating a jarring juxtaposition with the injuries on her lovely face. The child squawked loudly at the table and pulled Din's attention his way. He looked over and saw the child, hands raised, milk all over his face and robes, demanding to be let down. Cara ducked her head, smile still on her face, as Din brushed past her on his way to collect his tiny green child.  
  
"So, are you going to be around for a while then?" Cara asked nonchalantly, snatching the cup up off the table and setting it in the sink. She watched as Din balanced the child on his hip and tried to wipe milk from his face.   
  
"Long enough to make sure things are safe around here," Din answered, setting the child on the floor and watching him toddle off through the house. The child found his way to the bag by the door and pulled out a small stuffed frog and immediately put it in his mouth. He reached into the bag again and Din walked through the house to collect him. "Don't make a mess." He hoisted the child onto his hip again and the baby cooed.  
  
Cara leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen and watched Din and the child, a tenderness settling in her chest. "You guys have a place to stay?" she asked softly.  
  
"I figured we'd just head back to the _Crest_."  
  
Cara rolled her eyes. "So you're gonna trek all the way back to wherever the hell you parked that thing, in the dark, _with the kid_ , while we aren't sure if there are any more of those dicks here?"  
  
Din just shrugged.  
  
Cara huffed in exasperation and made her way over to the Mandalorian. She tickled the child's stomach and smiled. "Stay here," she suggested, looking squarely into Din's visor, expression soft and inviting.   
  
"I wasn't sure if --"  
  
Cara swatted Din's shoulder and rolled her eyes again. "You're unbelievable," she chuckled. "You take off for months, make me miss you, and then I get all roughed up trying to protect your ass from some trooper and you think I would make you sleep on the _Crest_?"  
  
"You missed me?" Din asked shakily, trying to hide the genuine shock in his voice.  
  
"Did you miss me?" Cara countered, sly grin tugging at her lips.  
  
"I may have," Din teased, aiming for nonchalant and failing. "I may have even gotten you something while we were out looking for his people." Din set the baby in his cradle where it hovered by the front door.   
  
Cara's cheeks flushed at the thought of Din off on some distant planet, buying her something. She stared down at her hands in an attempt to hide her deepening blush. "You can put him in my room. It's dark and quiet in there," Cara offered softly, nodding her head in the baby's direction.  
  
Din grabbed the messenger bag, slung it over his shoulder and followed Cara down the short hallway to her room. The space was just as he'd remembered it, dimly lit and intimate, with a welcoming bed in the middle of the room. A floral blanket still draped over the soft mattress. Cara sat down on her bed as Din got the child settled in the corner, bundling him up in his blankets. The child fell asleep in his little cradle without a fuss, all the excitement of the day exhausting him.   
  
Once he was sure the child was going to stay asleep, Din left the cradle and stood in front of Cara. He dug through the messenger bag until he found what he was looking for. "I saw this a few weeks ago and it made me think of you." Din handed Cara a soft, white blanket embroidered with small, blue flowers. "The merchant told me the flowers were --"  
  
"Starflowers," Cara interrupted, breathless. She ran her fingers over the delicate hand-stitching. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.   
  
"Yeah. She said they used to grow on Alderaan," Din went on, voice just above a whisper.   
  
Cara nodded, a lump forming in her throat. Leave it to Din to be a sentimental fool of a Mandalorian.   
  
"I knew I had to get it for you."  
  
Cara stood and threw her arms around Din's neck. "I missed you," she whispered as she tucked her face in the crook of Din's neck.   
  
Din tentatively wrapped his arms around Cara's waist. She melted into his space farther and one of Din's hands wandered up to rub her back, careful not to agitate her injured side. "I missed you too," he murmured, barely audible through his helmet's audio output.   
  
Cara released him and spread the blanket out over her bed. She took a deep breath in an attempt to loosen the tight feeling in her chest. Her gaze landed on one corner of the blanket that was turned up and she leaned over to straighten it. She hissed as the movement pulled at her side and agitated her wound. Din was at her side in a heart beat.   
  
"Where's that medkit of yours?" he asked, hand settling on her upper arm.   
  
Cara roller her eyes. "I don't need --"  
  
Din cocked his head to the side and huffed a laugh, just barely audible through the helmet.   
  
"It's in the dresser, top drawer," Cara relented, a small smile on her lips. She knew she wasn't going to win the argument so why even have it.   
  
Din retrieved the well-stocked medkit from the dresser and returned to Cara's side. He removed his gloves and set them on the nightstand before he reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt. "May I?" he whispered. Cara just nodded. He lifted her shirt gingerly and sucked in a breath when he saw the tazer mark on her side. It looked red and raw and it made Din wince.   
  
He pried the medkit open with his free hand and found the bacta gel. "This might sting," he said apologetically as he dropped her shirt so he could squeeze some bacta gel into his hand. He met her gaze and nodded once before he lifted her shirt again and applied the gel. Cara barely flinched as he rubbed the gel over her side. "Just hold it up until that dries," Din instructed, holding the hem of her shirt up around her shoulders.   
  
Cara smirked and tugged the shirt over her head instead. "Even easier," she laughed as she tossed the tank top into a chair by the door.  
  
Din swallowed thickly and grabbed a tissue out of the medkit to wipe his hands. "Feeling any better?" he asked as he tossed the wadded up tissue on the nightstand by his gloves.   
  
"Little bit." Cara sat down carefully on the edge of the bed and leaned over to remove her boots. She placed them by the corner of the bed on the floor and shimmied out of her pants next. Din stood by the nightstand, silent. "You coming to bed?" Cara asked as she slid beneath the covers.  
  
"I thought --"  
  
"What, that I'd make you crash on the tiny couch out there?" Cara laughed. She patted the empty space on the mattress in front of her. "Come on, _Mando_ , ditch the Beskar and get in bed."  
  
Din stared for a moment before he began carefully removing his Beskar, setting it in a neat pile on top of Cara's tank top that she'd tossed into the chair by the door. "Cara, I don't... I can't --"  
  
"I'll keep my hands to myself, don't worry," Cara chuckled.   
  
Din gingerly laid himself down on the bed facing Cara, helmet still on, and held his breath as he rested his head on a pillow. He thought for just a moment how nice it would be to see her this close without the visor separating them. To see her sparkling eyes and dimples without any filter, to let her see his own face. The thought jarred him and he quickly pushed it from his mind.  
  
"So, where should we start looking for more of those pricks tomorrow?" Cara asked. She pulled the blankets up over both of them and got comfortable.   
  
"I was thinking I'd go on my own, scout the back country a bit."  
  
" _On your own_? What, you think I can't handle it?"  
  
"No, that's not it at all I just... You should be resting and, well, I need someone to watch him," Din nodded in the direction of the child's cradle.  
  
"Come on, I'm not good with kids! I'm better in a fight and you know it!"  
  
"Cara, you're the only one I trust with him."  
  
Cara sighed and shut her eyes.   
  
"Please, if there _are_ more here I can't risk taking him out," Din all but pleaded. "Plus, he likes you."  
  
Cara huffed a disbelieving laugh through her nose and fixed Din with a curious look. "He tried to choke me that one time."  
  
"He knows you're my friend now, it's fine."  
  
"He knows Greef's sort of your friend now too. He could watch him," Cara countered.  
  
"No offence to Greef, but, if I need someone to protect him, I want it to be you."  
  
Cara reached over and laid her hand on the side of Din's helmet and sighed. "You really know just how to tug on the 'ol heartstrings, don't you, Djarin?"  
  
"Just yours," Din whispered playfully.  
  
Cara squinted at him, a smirk on her face. "He'll be safe tomorrow." Her hand drifted down to rest in the center of his chest. "Get some sleep, you're gonna need it." Cara shut her eyes and scooted just a bit closer to Din.  
  
Din shut his eyes and relaxed, and before he knew it he was asleep.  
  


* * *

  
Din woke early in the morning, just as the sun was coming up and beginning to fill the room with delicate light. The first thing he saw was Cara's peaceful face. She slept soundly not even a foot from him, and it took all of his conviction not to shut his eyes and drift off with her again. Carefully, so he wouldn't wake his bed-mate, he got up and began refastening his Beskar.   
  
Cara stirred as he slipped on his boots. "Sorry," he whispered as Cara's gaze finally settled on him.   
  
Cara smiled sweetly at him and stretched as she sat up. "There's some meal bars in the pantry," she offered quietly. "I could make up some caf real quick too, if you wanted."  
  
Din shook his head. "That's all right." He stood from the chair and walked to the side of the bed. "I'll try to be quick. If he wakes up before I get back, he likes milk and and a little sweet bread for breakfast." Din tentatively reached out and caressed Cara's jaw.  
  
Cara's eyes drifted closed and she hummed. "Be safe," she murmured.  
  
Din took a deep breath, took one last look at Cara and the child, and decided to leave quickly before he lost his determination and climbed back into the warm bed with Cara.  
  
The sound of the front door closing startled Cara and she opened her eyes. "Guess it's just you and me, kid," she whispered as she peered into the child's cradle from her bed. He still slept soundly, snuggled in his blue blanket. She flopped back on her bed and sighed. Maybe she'd get lucky and Din would be back before the child awoke.  
  


* * *

  
The sun was high in the sky, already baking the desolate landscape as Din came upon the _Crest_. His ship looked untouched, but he figured if there were storm troopers in the area they'd probably been poking around the ship overnight. He ducked into the ship quickly and checked over all of the security protocols. Everything was still activated and in order, so he decided it was safe to leave the ship where it was.   
  
He strolled down the ramp and had barely hit the controls on his vambrance to close the ship back up before a shot cut though the desert and hit the ship just beside his head, ricocheting into the dirt. Din dropped immediately and rolled under the _Crest_ for cover. He spied two figures, clad all in white, coming over a ridge in the distance. He cursed himself for missing them in the first place as he laid still and tried to see if more were coming. Din drew his blaster and fired off a few shots, but the troopers were better than he anticipated and dodged his fire.   
  
The two troopers descended on the _Crest_ quickly and before Din knew it they were trying to draw him out from under the ship. One got in a lucky shot and grazed Din's lower leg and he rolled out from under the ship. As soon as he began to get to his feet he was kicked square in the visor and fell back into the course Nevarro dirt, his blaster falling out of his hand and skidding back under the _Crest_. The trooper's foot came down on his chest repeatedly and Din felt all the air leave his body. He tried to roll away and was met with swift kicks to his ribs for the effort.   
  
The second trooper came up behind the first and pulled his partner away from where Din laid in the dirt. "Enough," he barked, "We were sent here to find the asset. If it's not with him now then he probably knows where it is. And you know what he can't do if he's dead?" The first trooper stood in silence. "Tell us where the damn asset is!" The second trooper pointed his blaster rifle in Din's direction. "I think he's out, why don't we try to gain access to the ship and search it for the asset."  
  
Din laid still, if the idiots thought he'd be out cold that easily he'd be glad to let their stupidity work to his advantage. The first trooper approached him once more and began poking at every inch of his vambrance until the ramp of the _Crest_ came down.   
  
"Drag him inside," the other trooper ordered as he made his own trek up the ramp into the ship.  
  
Din allowed himself to be dragged onto his own ship by his feet and shoved into a corner on the floor. He watched as the troopers began poking around. One began inspecting the carbonite hold while the other tried to figure out how to get the ramp to close back up. Din waited a moment until the two were fully engrossed with their inspection of the ship and then he struck. Immediately, he pushed the trooper who was inspecting the carbonite hold into the unit and pushed a button. The trooper was instantly encased in carbonite in a rather unfortunate position.  
  
The second trooper charged him, dropping his shoulder as he closed in on Din and barreling into him fiercely. Din flew backward and his head hit the floor with a loud thud. The vision in his visor filled with static for a moment and he shut his eyes. When he opened them the trooper was right in his face, gripping either side of Din's helmet.   
  
"Let's see how ugly you are under there," the trooper laughed as he tried to tug Din's helmet off his head.  
  
An angry sort of panic filled Din. He'd betrayed himself on numerous occasions in the last few months, daydreaming of removing his helmet, of showing his face and being truly known. But not by some low-life prick storm trooper. He'd always imagined Cara's smiling face gazing back at him without his helmet.  
  
His blood ran cold as he thought of Cara and the child, safe and happy in Cara's house unless the trooper bested him. He'd make it back to them, whatever it took. Din's rage propelled him to action. He grabbed the trooper's forearms and pulled him forward, head-butting him. The trooper grunted and fell backward. Din scrambled to his feet and kicked the trooper's blaster rifle away.  
  
"Are there any more of you here?" Din asked gruffly, standing on the trooper's wrist and leaning all of his weight onto it. The trooper hissed and tried to squirm away. Din kicked him in the helmet and repeated the question.  
  
"They sent three of us here to scout the planet. I'm the only one left now, but with the press of a button on my communicator I can have armies here in minutes," the trooper responded, proud and defiant.   
  
"Good luck with that." Din stepped down harder on the trooper's wrist and deftly maneuvered his body in the tight space so he could reach the top of a nearby cabinet. He found what he was looking for in an instant and pulled the blaster down, aiming it at the trooper's chest. The trooper didn't even have time to protest before Din fired off a shot. The trooper went limp and Din exhaled raggedly. He dragged the limp trooper over to the carbonite hold and gave him the same treatment his imp partner had received.   
  
The sudden silence in the _Crest_ gave Din a moment to collect himself and he started realizing just how much pain he was actually in. He didn't think he had any life-threatening injuries, but he would definitely have some serious bruising in the coming days. His brow may have also been cut open when his head was jarred around in his helmet, if the wet sensation above his eye was anything to go off of. A small teething toy on the floor in the corner of the ship caught Din's eye and he scooped it up. The child would be awake by now, without a doubt. He needed to get back to Cara's and let them know they were safe.  
  


* * *

  
Din stumbled onto Cara's porch and stared at the door for a moment. It had taken the better part of the day for him to finally make it back into town and to Cara's little district, but he'd done it. He slowly opened the front door and peered inside. Cara stood in her little living room, her back to Din, adjusting the blankets in the child's cradle. He tried to close the door as quietly as he could, but in the hush of the house the clicking of the latch seemed to almost echo.   
  
Cara spun around immediately and her jaw went slack. Din stood in her entryway, armor scuffed and scratched, shoulders hunched, breath coming in short bursts. She quickly crossed through her house and grabbed Din's shoulders. "What happened?" she asked as her eyes roamed Din's body.  
  
"I won," Din rasped, aiming for playful but sounding exhausted instead.  
  
" _Din_ ," Cara said with a warning edge to her voice. "Are you going to be okay?" Her hand snaked up and cupped the side of Din's helmet, forcing him to look at her.  
  
"I'll be fine. Where's the child?" Din tried to walk farther into the house and stumbled.  
  
Cara propped him upright and sighed. "Kid is _finally_ napping. He was not thrilled when he woke up and you weren't here but I got him calmed down and he seemed to be okay. He finished lunch a little while ago and got tired so I put him down." She helped Din take a few steps into the living room so he could see into the cradle.   
  
The child slept peacefully, swaddled in his blue blanket, frog toy tucked in next to him. Din exhaled a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in. "They sent three troopers here," Din explained absentmindedly, still staring at the sleeping child. "You got the first one. I took care of the last two, they're not a threat to anyone anymore."  
  
Cara sighed in relief. She patted the center of Din's chest, fingers thudding on his cool Beskar, and smiled. "Let me get my medkit. I can patch up what you need help with and then let you take care of anything," she gestured vaguely at Din's head, "up there."  
  
Din grabbed Cara's hand and kept her from leaving. "Cara, I can't do this anymore."  
  
Cara furrowed her brow. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Din. I just want to make sure you at least get some bacta and --"  
  
Din shook his head and swallowed thickly. "I can't keep pretending like I'm fine hiding myself from you."  
  
Cara backed away from him slightly and took a steadying breath. "Din, you're tired and probably hungry, let me get my medkit and we'll --"  
  
He placed his hands on either side of his helmet and Cara looked down at the floor.  
  
The dull thud of Din's helmet hitting the floor startled Cara and her eyes squeezed shut immediately. He drifted back into her space and took a shaky breath. "Cara, it's okay. It's okay. Look at me."  
  
Cara vehemently shook her head, eyes still shut tight, as she fought back tears. She could barely process what was happening. How could Din possibly want to alter his entire life just for her?  
  
Din pulled his gloves off and took Cara's hands in his own. "Cara, I want this," he reassured as he placed her hands on either side of his face. Her whole body shook and she inhaled sharply as her hands touched his face. "I'm probably one of the last Mandalorians left at this point. I'm the father of a foundling now, who, more than likely is the last of his species. And then we met you, one of the last daughters of Alderaan. I don't think that's coincidence."   
  
Tears fell freely from Cara's eyes now, her breath coming rapidly.  
  
"I want this, Cara. I have no home, no family anymore. Just you and the kid, that's all I have. That's the only thing that kept me going today, thinking about getting back to you two. It's all I've thought about for months. I can't pretend like you're not the most important person in my life outside of the child anymore. As the leader of my own clan, I can make my own choices. I'm not asking you to submit to the Mandalorian way, I'm not asking you to give up your life here. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. How much I care about you. I want this." Din held his breath as he waited for a response.   
  
Cara slowly opened her eyes and took a steadying breath. Tears streamed down her face as she lifted her head studied Din's features. His smooth skin, dark hair, warm eyes, and roguishly handsome mustache. He had a cut above his right eye but his smile told her that he would eventually be all right. His face was a kind and handsome one and she couldn't believe she was actually seeing it with her own eyes. She smiled as she met his eyes with her own for the first time. A surprised peal of laughter, almost a giggle, escaped her lips as she smoothed her thumb over his mustache.   
  
Din smiled, tears brimming in his eyes. "I can get rid of it," he laughed as Cara continued to smooth out his mustache.  
  
"Not on your life." Cara smiled wide, her dimples dotting her cheeks. "It suits you." She reached up and carefully brushed some hair off his forehead. Her eyes continued roaming his face, wide and happy, as she committed his features to memory.   
  
Din ducked his head and gently pressed his lips to Cara's. His eyes fell shut as Cara's hands found their way to his hair. She tugged him closer and deepened the kiss. Din moaned as his lips parted and he wound his hands around Cara's waist. They sunk into each other eagerly, but a bit too quickly, and Din hissed in pain when Cara grazed a particularly nasty bruise on his side.  
  
"Why don't we head to my room," Cara suggested with a playful grin. "We can tend to your injuries and we won't wake up the little one." She tipped her head toward the child, still sleeping peacefully in his cradle.   
  
"Lead the way," Din laughed, a brilliant smile on his face.   
  
Cara guided Din down the short hallway to her room and helped him remove his Beskar, stacking it all carefully in the chair by the door. He saw the blanket he'd given her spread out over her bed and he smiled to himself.  
  
Cara made quick work of peeling him out of the shirt he wore beneath his armor and winced. Already, his torso was covered in bruises. The medkit still sat on top of her dresser from the night before. She snatched it up and started applying various ointments to Din's body. "There were only two of them?" she asked in disbelief as she tapped some ointment gently onto the cut on Din's brow.  
  
"They were fairly competent for imperial scum."  
  
Cara sighed and grabbed a bottle of liquid from the medkit. "Let me see what's going on with your leg." Din leveled an amused grin at her. "What, you thought I'd miss the _obvious_ limp you came back with? Let's see it, Djarin. "  
  
Din leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Cara's lips. "Yes ma'am," he murmured against her lips before he stepped back and worked his pants off. He tossed them in the chair on top of his Beskar and cleared his throat, suddenly less confident than he'd been a split second ago.  
  
"Those are adorable," Cara said with a smile, pointing to the briefs Din had on. Din's face flushed and Cara's smile grew wider. She stepped around Din and inspected his legs. She took in a sharp breath as she discovered the spot where the trooper's blaster fire had grazed Din's flesh. "You really gotta stop getting shot," she said as she pressed a cloth soaked in bacta to the wound.  
  
Din shut his eyes and waited until the worst of the stinging was over. "How else am I supposed to end up half naked in your room?"  
  
Cara rose and walked around to stand in front of Din again. "You're unbelievable," she laughed as she leaned in and kissed Din softly. She stepped away from him and pulled back the blankets on her bed. "Lay down, rest."  
  
Din slowly lowered himself down into the bed and sighed in relief. He watched, intrigued, as Cara stripped down to her own undergarments. "I thought I was supposed to rest," Din pondered, amused.  
  
"I watched a cranky baby all day and, while I don't have any bruises, I too would like to have a nap." Cara fixed him with a mischievous grin as she climbed into the bed next to him and made herself comfortable.   
  
"He was cranky?"   
  
"He was in the morning. I think it just scared him when he woke up and you weren't here."  
  
"Thank you, for taking care of him for me today."  
  
Cara slid over in the bed and gently rested her head on Din's shoulder, careful to avoid the worst of his bruising. "It wasn't too bad. He had a pretty good time when I took him out and let him run all over the porch after breakfast. He'll probably sleep for a while."  
  
They laid in silence for a while, decompressing after their stressful day. Din reached over and rubbed Cara's arm after a while. "Be honest," he said seriously, "How relieved were you when you opened your eyes and I wasn't a Wookie?"  
  
Cara laughed and pressed a kiss to Din's collar bone. "I always knew you weren't a Wookie. You're not tall enough." She sat up a bit and trailed soft kisses from Din's chest up his neck. "You are _quite_ handsome though." She nibbled on his earlobe.  
  
Din hummed and shut his eyes. "Handsome, huh?"  
  
"Is the bacta working yet?" Cara asked. Din just nodded in response, eyes still blissfully shut. Cara sat up all the way and gently straddled Din's lap. "You're the most handsome Mandalorian I've ever seen." She smiled wide, dimples appearing on her cheeks.  
  
Din chuckled and opened his eyes. "So flattering."  
  
Cara leaned down and kissed him again, slow and lingering. "You're all I've got too," she whispered against Din's lips. Din wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer. "I'm more than lucky that you strolled into that cantina on Sorgan," Cara whispered. Din arched his head up and claimed her lips once more in a heated kiss. She felt his fingertips dip below the waistband of her undergarments and she smiled, pressing Din back against the pillows on her bed.  
  


* * *

  
When Din awoke the room was dimly lit, only a single lamp on the dresser cast a soft pink glow around the space. Cara rested beside him, head nestled into the crook of his neck. He tucked her hair behind her ear and she stirred. She smiled at him sleepily as she opened her eyes. Din smiled back and hummed. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.  
  
Cara shrugged.  
  
"I should go check on the little one," Din said as he began to move.  
  
Cara placed her hand to his chest. "I already checked on him. Brought him in here to show him you were back, got him a little dinner, and he went back to sleep. He's right outside the door."  
  
Din pulled Cara closer and kissed her temple.  
  
Cara's eyes went wide after a moment and she sat up. "That's okay, right? That he saw your face? I didn't even think, Din I'm --"  
  
"Hey, hey, it's okay. He's my foundling, he's seen my face." Din pulled her back to his chest and shut his eyes. "Everything is fine. Everything is _perfect_ ," he whispered.  
  
Cara relaxed and rested her head on his chest. They laid together in silence for a while, tangled up in one another, before Cara started laughing quietly. Din shifted in the bed so he could see her better, a confused look on his face.   
  
"It's nothing," Cara said, sly grin on her face.  
  
Din squinted at her.  
  
"I was just thinking. Now I can tell everyone I've gone three rounds with a Mandalorian and come out on top."  
  
"You're incorrigible!" Din laughed loudly. He pulled Cara close and pressed a soft kiss to the tattoo below her eye.   
  
"You enjoy it," Cara teased.  
  
Din settled himself back against the pillows and shut his eyes. "I do."   
  
Cara smiled to herself and pulled the blanket Din had gotten her up over both of them. She'd let him rest a bit longer before she forced him out of bed to help her cook them some dinner. They quickly drifted off again and didn't notice when the child lowered himself out of his cradle and climbed onto the bed to sleep between them.

**Author's Note:**

> This is bad and I apologize, I just had too much fun writing it so I figured I'd post it for anyone else who is as much CaraDin trash as I am. 
> 
> Also, I rewatched The Mandalorian again recently cause with all the sheltering in place and whatnot I was kinda depressed and very stressed, so I figured a little baby yoda, as a treat, would be fun. And in the last episode when Cara holds Din's hand when he thinks he's going to die in the cantina? I emotionally blacked out for a week. Which lead to me writing this and I'm sorry. 
> 
> Be safe and kind everyone, times are strange now ♥
> 
> [tumblr](https://imwritesometimes.tumblr.com/)


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